IMPLICATIONS OF COVID-19 FOR AGRICULTURE, FOOD SECURITY, AND POVERTY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Covid-19 pandemic appeared to have permanently changed the mode of life, whereby covid-19 mitigating measures have become a unifying world order. All spheres of human life are greatly affected and adversely too. In Nigeria unfortunately, the food chain has become the worst hit resulting from the crushing effects of the pandemic on agriculture. There has been a consistent increase in prices of agricultural products since the February 2020 national lockdown in Nigeria. While Nigeria continues to witness a persistent fall in agricultural output, including food, the prices of food and other agricultural produce keep hitting the roof. The abysmal government interventions riddled with corruption and effectively excluding the mass poor farmers further exacerbated their poor living conditions, while more Nigerians are pushed into poverty. The study involved an exploratory analysis of the immediate impacts of covid-19 mitigation measures and interventions on agriculture, food security, and poverty in Nigeria. The major objective of this study is to better understand the implications of the covid-19 pandemic for agriculture, food security, and poverty in Nigeria.